Aug

Rustic Cherry Cream Cheese Tartlettes

I’ll admit I have a bit of a midwest bias, but fresh cherries from Door County, Wisconsin are the best cherries in the world. I was lucky enough to take a trip to Door County recently, and cherry harvest was in full swing. Cherries are the primary food product of this area in Wisconsin, and in fact Door County is the 4th largest producer of cherries in the U.S. (Michigan is first), according to the Door County Cherry Fact Sheet. Cherry trees grow well in this area (producing about 7,000 cherries per tree!) because they are protected by the gentle breezes of Lake Michigan.

Even in the dead of winter, the fields of these miniature trees hold great promise. In late July through August, the trees are green and full, ready for you to pick your own cherries, or already picked, with the fruit available for sale nearby. We stopped at a stand, and bought a few cartons.

These cute and delicious little tartlettes are the result of one of those cartons, and I must say that these are one of the top 3 best desserts I have ever made in my entire life. Really.

They are a perfect combination of light, flaky, buttery crust, slightly sweetened cream cheese, and sweet and tangy tasty cherries, thick and juicy red. Plus they are just beautiful to look at; the crust browns beautifully and the egg wash and sugar create a bit of shine. The cherries retain their deep red color and circular shape with the cheese peaking from underneath.

Don’t be dissuaded by the steps - the preparation is actually quick: dough for the crusts, a simple cream cheese filling, and the cherry topping. I suppose you could use a prepared pie crust, but this home-made dough is so delicious it is worth the additional steps.

Dough:

Flour - 1/4 cups (all-purpose or bread flour, which is what I used)
Sugar - 1 Tblsp.
Salt - 1 tsp.
Butter - 1 stick (8 tablespoons), chilled (from refrigerator) and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
Water - 3-4 Tblsps., ice cold

Cream cheese filling:

Cream Cheese - 8 oz., at room temperature
Sugar - 1/4 cup
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp.
Vanilla - 1 tsp.

Cherry topping:

Cherries - 2 cups, fresh, stemmed, pitted (in halves)
Cornstarch - 2 Tblsp.
Sugar - 1/3 cup sugar
Almond Extract - 1/4 tsp. (optional)
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp.

Optional egg wash and sugar topping:

Egg - 1, beaten
Sugar - 1/3 cup

To make the dough, combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well, then add the cubed butter.
Use your (clean) hands to combine the butter into the flour mixture, rubbing it in with your fingers.
Do this for a few minutes until it is crumbly, with some pea-sized pieces, but most of it combined (but crumbly).
Add the cold water, starting with three tablespoons. Knead the dough a bit (in the bowl) and if it seems too dry, add up to another 1 tablespoon of cold water (I used all 4 tablespoons.)
Knead about 10 times, until the dough is very well blended. Form into a disk, about an inch thick, cover with plastic and chill for at least 30 minutes or up to three days.
To make the cream cheese filling, put all of the ingredients in a medium bowl, and blend with a mixer until it smooth and consistent (about 1 minute). You can use as is, or cover and refrigerate for later use.
To make the cherry topping, combine all of the ingredients and toss gently to mix thoroughly.
Use right away, or chill for later use. If a liquid collects in the bowl, drain it out.
To make the crust and begin assembling the tartlettes, remove the dough from the refrigerator, and cut like a pizza into 8 equal triangular slices.
For each slice, form the dough into a ball and then a disc.
Place on a floured surface and roll out with a floured rolling pin, until they are about 4 inches in diameter, roughly circular. Remember, these are rustic so imperfections are part of the charm.
Place on a greased baking sheet, and then place about 1- 2 Tblsp. of cream cheese in the middle of each and spread it, leaving a 1-inch perimeter of dough untouched to be folder over later.
Place cherries on top of the cream cheese (about 1 Tblsp or a bit more).
Fold the edges of dough over to partially cover the cherries and cheese.
Fold over all sides, and then pinch together in about 4 places.
Again, perfection is not the goal — these are rustic, so they do not have to be even.
It is important to try and make sure each tartlette is pinched closed, so liquid that forms stays in the tartlette and does not leak out.
Brush exposed dough with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
Cook in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until tartlettes are golden to medium brown. They will be beautiful and you will fall in love with them.
Let cool and remove from sheets.